Commercial and institutional establishments such as office buildings, schools, recreational facilities, convenience stores, etc., provide bathroom facilities, and sometimes shower facilities, for individuals using the establishment. Such facilities may include toilets, urinals, wash basins, showers, and dressing compartments. To provide privacy to individuals using the facilities, partitions are used to form toilet compartments, urinal screens, entrance screens, shower dividers, and dressing compartments.
In high traffic washrooms, such as airports, schools and public stadiums, vandalism can be a problem. Accordingly, washroom partitions in these facilities should have one or more of the following features: easy to clean (including removal of graffiti), resistance to moisture, resistance to dents and impacts, resistance to gouging, carving and chemicals.
Toilet partitions constructed of a solid phenolic core with multiple resin-impregnated kraft and melamine surface sheets are known and provide suitable protection against moisture, graffiti and wear. Such solid phenolic partitions have a durable, hard surface to resist dents and impacts. The surface is also moisture resistance and facilitates removal of marker ink, lipstick and paint without ghosting, using acetone-based cleaners. Known solid phenolic and plastic laminate toilet partitions, installation configurations and other types of bathroom partitions and connections are described on pages 22–30 of the Bobrick Washroom Equipment, Inc. catalog, dated January 2002, incorporated herein by reference.
The exterior surface of solid phenolic panels, however, have a disadvantage in that they can be scratched or gouged with a sharp instrument, revealing a different color below the surface. Repair of the panel, e.g., by painting over the scratch, is usually unsatisfactory because the scratch may still be noticeable. Replacement of the panel is also unsatisfactory due to the expense.
In view of the above, it should be appreciated that there is still a need for a bathroom panel having one or more of the advantages of the solid phenolic panel, but which also provides improved vandal resistance.